Included
by Ixae
Summary: If the holidays are here, Soren's not. Despite that, Ike always gets him a yearly inclusion gift, and it seems this year's no different...SorenxMia


Yay for Soren x Mia! ...Sadly this is only a oneshot, but I can't wait until I post a multi-chapter about them, they're basically my favourite pairing ever! I guess it's pretty sad that this pairing has all of 3 seconds of official "proof" (so, basically, they actually interact).

So, I decided to write random Christmas stories this year, and here is the first one! Just so you know, this was all written today, so it wasn't very planned out. I'm just assuming it takes place Christmas day. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem.

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><p><em>Included<em>

It was Christmas time again, and Soren couldn't be less excited. Ike always told him about how wonderful Christmas was, with gift giving, spending time with those closest to you, games and traditions…but Soren didn't see a point to it. Why would anyone go out of their way to spend a full day with others, and have to waste money getting gifts for all of them? It seemed completely illogical in his eyes.

But he never complained when Ike started planning for the annual Christmas party. He knew how much Ike loved the holiday and didn't want to ruin his mood. So, like every year, Soren asked to be excused from all the merriment. And, also like every year, Ike would get a disheartened look as he told Soren it would be nice to see him participate this year, but being the person he is allows Soren to remain in his room all day to avoid the festivities.

So he sat in his room planning for the next day. He figured they could use tomorrow to stock up on supplies, provided no one hired them for a job. He was looking at his inventory list and shaking his head, amazed at how many bows Shinon could break in less than a week. Taking note of their dwindling food stock, he also made sure to ask whoever was going out this time to get more meat and vegetables; together Ike and Boyd could probably eat more than all of the su—laguz in Gallia. His frown twisted into a small smirk as he noticed how Ike's speech was rubbing off on him. He still disliked the laguz, but with Ike his grudge against them just seemed to disappear.

His thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as he returned to his task. After finishing the list of things they needed, he checked outside. The sun was beginning to set, meaning the end of the day, and the festivities, was near. Ike would need to go over the list, but Soren knew he was busy at the moment so he decided to leave it in Ike's room. As he opened his door, he heard the faint chanting of "Chug! Chug! Chug!" and figured they were in the middle of an eggnog chugging contest. He rolled his eyes and walked towards Ike's room. It was only two rooms away, and between theirs was—

"Mia."

He halted just in time to avoid running into her as she exited her room, the name slipping off his tongue before he realized he had spoken. As he noticed they were almost literally face-to-face, his cheeks turned slightly pink and he took a step back. Mia seemed oblivious as her grin grew wider (she never seemed to stop smiling) and she gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. Soren stumbled and rubbed his shoulder; was he that weak?

"Heya, Soren! I was just grabbing the secret santas! You should really join, it's fun!" It was then that he noticed the hat she carried with small slips of paper inside.

"No thanks," Soren replied, "I've got too much to do. If you'll excuse me…"

He shifted around Mia, his face heating up upon noticing her oddly scrutinizing expression as he entered Ike's room.

- - x - - X - - x - -

Mia watched him go into Ike's room, feeling a little guilty. She had only been with the Greil Mercenaries for the Christmas before this, but she had been told about Soren's habit of skipping the holiday festivities.

She carried on to the mess hall with her hat of secret santas, entering just as Boyd slammed down his glass and declared himself the winner. She giggled as Rolf pointed out that half of the eggnog had ended up on his shirt, therefore he was disqualified and Shinon was the winner.

Ike stood off to the side with Mist and Titania, and Mia headed in their direction to give him the secret santas. Ike thanked her as she turned to stare back the way she came. Soren had seemed unbothered, but Mia thought that deep down he might actually be lonely despite that it was his own decision to skip the party.

"Mia? Is something wrong?"

She turned to Ike and his concerned expression, then down to the hat he held. Her eyes lit up as she thought of something. Hey, Ike? Can I make a request about the secret santa thing?"

Ike seemed confused, but when she whispered her explanation in his ear he smiled. "I think that's a great idea."

- - x - - X - - x - -

Soren had returned to his room, and was doing some reading before he went to bed. The sun had long since disappeared, and only a small candle lit his room. It was just enough light to read by, that way he didn't to waste any more than he needed. He had heard the other mercenaries heading to their rooms not long ago, murmuring excitedly about the gifts they had gotten and the fun they had.

Despite himself, Soren felt a little disappointed. Ike hadn't visited to give him the annual Christmas gift for feeling bad about excluding Soren, even if by his own choice. He shook his head quickly; if Soren himself decided not to participate, then he couldn't be so arrogant as to expect a gift anyways.

Still, the stinging loneliness did not leave him as he put his book away and went to sleep

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><p>He awoke earlier than usual the next morning; the sun's light was hardly even peering over the distant horizon. Soren felt as if something had woken him, and he paused to listen for any intruders or other mercenaries. He heard nothing.<p>

Deciding to ignore it and just get up, he shifted and brushed against something small and solid. He looked over at the end of his bed, where a small present sat. It was neatly wrapped in green with a simple but pretty red ribbon. A small smile formed on his face as he realized Ike hadn't forgotten him.

Soren grabbed the present, and judging by the shape and weight came to the quick decision that it was a tome, Elwind if he had to guess. _I was in need of a new tome soon anyways,_ he told himself, ascertaining it was the convenience of getting a new tome that caused his interest in the gift. Nevertheless, he couldn't quell the rush of excitement.

He unwrapped the present with care, starting by untying the ribbon, then gently tearing the paper in a way that neatly preserved the majority of it. The tome beneath was revealed, and his eyes widened slightly. He recognized the tome, but it wasn't Elwind. It was Tornado.

Ike had really gone out of his way this time. Usually it was a basic Elwind tome, though he did remember getting a Spirit Dust one year. He would have to thank Ike the next time he saw him.

He opened the tome to inspect it, and was surprised when a card fell out. He placed Tornado down to grab the card. One side was blank, while the other had "Soren" written with a scribbled cursive penmanship. He blinked. Ike's writing was an absolute mess, almost impossible to read except for Soren, who was used to it, and Ike himself, who insisted it wasn't as bad as everyone said. This writing, while still akin to scrawl, had a sort of graceful and feminine touch to it. He opened the card and found a brief message inside.

_I figured you might like this, even though you don't want anything to do with Christmas. And it's never fun to be forgotten, so you're officially included! Maybe next year you'll join us, I'd love to see you there!_

—_Mia_

She had added a quick scribbled heart next to her name. It probably meant nothing, just the way she signed her name, but it gave him a warm feeling inside. He would make certain to treasure Tornado, right down to its last use. He tucked the note back inside the tome and prepared for the day, a tiny, almost imperceptible smile glued to his face for a while afterward. It only grew wider (by a little, of course) when he saw Mia that day, accompanied by a small blush and a warm feeling of inclusion.

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><p>In both the written and word document forms, I added an actual little heart next to Mia's name. It looked so cute~!<p>

So in case you're confused with the whole secret santa thing, I realized later on that it sounded like they just got their secret santa person today, and had a few hours to go buy a gift _and _exchange them. I just assume that it's Christmas day and they already had their gifts, they were just showing who picked who as their secret santa or something. I don't know.


End file.
